Kitty litter on top of pot, still have to flux often?

[zomby woof]

I'm getting my technique down. I'm making some fine boolits with help from this board!! I melt my alloy, add tin and flux. I then add the clay on top of the pot which works well. Do I still need to flux again during that casting session? That would require removing all the clay. Would stirring with a hardwood dowel be enough.

[Bret4207]

I don't use a BP, yet. 30+ years of ladling and I'm just trying a real BP. No need for me to go into my Lee Dripomatic story here. The idea for the litter is to insulate the mix and to seal it from the air which causes the hot alloy to oxidize. The litter will float to the top so I don't see why you couldn't stir it, IOW- I don't see why you'd have to remove it. What good it will do depends on how clean your mix is to start.

All I flux with in my pot is a stick, no need for wax, flames, soot and whatnot.

[Trey45]

I use kitty litter in my Lee dripomatic 20 pound pot, I have found all I need to do is stir vigorously as I'm repleneshing the pot with my ww ingots. They were already fluxxed several times during the smelting process. I have poured literally thousands of boolits this way, far less than many here, but still a lot by a beginners standards. I have had very good luck using this method, a good friend and mentor has done this same method for 20+ years with excellent results. The kitty litter does just what Bret said, acts as a heat barrier, and prevents oxidation. As far as I know it has no fluxxing capacities. If your ingots were fluxxed during the ingotizing process, why do they need it again?

[eka]

I use the kitty litter and never flux. Add clean ingots, quick stir, and I'm back in business. The ingots go right through the litter and it stays on top. The only reason you need to flux is because the lead is oxidizing while in contact with the air on top of the melt. You are preventing this from happening with the litter.

Good luck,

Keith

[masscaster]

No need to flux in the casting pot, this will tend to change each fill of the pot alloy as well. Even if the the ingots are cleaned well at the smelter each ingot has variations of properties.
But your pot should be stirred and skimmed after adding your lead ingots, no worries on the sprue. This will help keep your BP spout clean, and keep your melt consistent.

Jeff @ Forefather's Casting

[Calamity Jake]

+1 for edk. I've used the KL trick for years, if the layer is ¼ thick or more a 1# ingot can be layed on top and will self flux as it melts and runs thru. The KL will flux the mix.
There is always some amount of dirt/crud left in the smelted ingots no mater how well fluxed so I will sturr the casting pot with a stick when fresh alloy is added.
After 8-10 casting sessions the KL will began breaking down and turn to dust, at that time I remove the KL, flux well and relpace with fresh. A 5# bag has lasted about 10 years and I cast a lot in the cool/cold months.

[parson48]

But, what if the cat has to "go"? Won't the tinsel fairy get him? (Couldn't resist)

parson48

[Shuz]

But, what if the cat has to "go"? Won't the tinsel fairy get him? (Couldn't resist)

parson48

No but my .44 hollow point will! Cat...the other white meat!

[Shuz]

My experience with kitty litter has been similar to Calamity Jakes. After a while, the kitty litter becomes dusty and I scrape it off, flux, and apply new. The only difference I can detect between our techniques is that I also flux(with Marvelux) every time I add a new ingot. I stir my pot with a tablespoon that has had several holes drilled into it. This gives a nice swirling action way down in the melt, and allows any impurities to float to the top and become "one with the litter"!

[Slow Elk 45/70]

Yup, the only problem with the Kitty litter is keeping the cat off my lead pot........[smilie=1:[smilie=1::roll:

[Dale53]

Apparently, I do things quite a bit different than most of you. I use an RCBS 22 lb pot. I weigh up my bullet metal ingots before putting in the pot. I FILL the pot to within about ½" of the top and add my tin (my bullet metal is straight WW's then I add 2% tin. I stir and flux with a commercial flux. Then I do NOT add any metal. I cast a complete pot full (leave about ½" in the bottom of the pot). This gives me 20-21 lb. of bullets. I batch process those and keep them separate. If I am feeling "strong" I'll load up another pot and cast until empty. Mostly, these days, I only cast a full pot at a time.

After I start casting I do not flux. I am through with the pot full in an hour (six cavity mould) to an hour and a half with a two cavity mould.

I store the bullets, by the separate pot full, in plastic boxes properly labeled. That way, I don't have to worry about slight differences in one pot of alloy to another. All bullets fired on one target came from the same batch.

Everyone works the way they prefer, of course, but that is the way I work. Simply and efficiently and bottom pour all of the way.

Dale53